זֶרַעַיִם

 Boqer tov!🌞

    

I have just come in from collecting more seeds from my Radishes. My Linseed plant has also produced seeds exponentially, as well as my Calendula & Winter Leaf Crop, the latter much more so than all the others put together. It is such a therapeutic occupation to open those dried pods and count the many seeds from each one. The abundance of our Creator!

    It is just amazing to think that our Father in heaven brings Life to such tiny, dead blobs, no bigger than a pinhead in many cases - and through these lifeless orbs He feeds us with all good food. Mind-blowing!

    This new Gregorian year is less than a fortnight old and already so much has happened. The sand is gurgling at the lower opening of the hourglass and so the time passes so quickly that before I know it, 2 more days have passed and I have not noted HaShem's many blessings that He daily burdens me with!

    For starters, He has given us a beautiful cool day today with enough wind to keep us cool. As some of you might know, the heat really depletes me in every way, so I, for one, am grateful! Although, I must say, this is really strange summer weather. But all over the world there are odd weather phenomenon going on. Arctic vortex's over Florida, snow thunderstorms in the Eastern US, all the planets in our Solar System aligning - it really seems to me the heavens and the earth are declaring the imminent return of our Messiah Yeshua.

    Praise to HaShem for the way in which He has and is continuing to restore my mom to full and complete health. Every day has its own little miracle, after the big one He gave me on Erev Shabbat Hanukkah. I am beyond thankful!

    Some friends and I celebrated Zot Hanukkah - if you don't know what that is, please do ask me - remotely. We said the prayers, ate the festive meal, the whole deal. I planted Black Cherry tomatoes (which contain the same substance as Blueberries, which is so advantageous for one's nefesh), secured my growing Yacon with a Bamboo pole, planted a Spinach tree and organic Potatoes, as well as Aniseed, Cucumber & Onions - all Heirloom seeds, of course. I need to take my garden notebook and pencil out with me again to make notes of the tasks that need to be done to keep my God-given garden growing!

    

    Although I haven't done Christmas for years, it is still a bit of a crazy time and with people spending time with family, etc, my normally set schedule was in upheaval. It was only this week, on the 7th of January, that I began to get my ducks back in a row.

    Speaking of ducks: That family of Egyptian Geese that we rescued are doing well. There are 7 young ones left of the 8 and they are already teenagers. Here;'s a picture:

🦆

    Some friends and I have now managed to pick up our various activities: Reading the Shulkhan Arukh, the Jerusalem Talmud, Bereshiyt Rabbah, watching video teachings on Rambam's Mishneh Torah by master teacher Rabbi Yehoshua Gordon, doing live online classes with a couple of Torah teachers and also praying Shacharit & Mincha - we more or less carried on with those throughout the December period, only interrupted slightly by my mom's hospitalisation. We even met for special prayers for the 10th of Tevet. I had a really easy, good and meaningful fast this year. Baruch HaShem. I was so busy praying that the day went very quickly!

 Thankfulness to my faithful Hebrew students. I appreciate you.💖

I was very blessed to reconnect with an old friend who has now moved to Ireland - Baruch HaShem for Zoom, and my Zoom angel! I also had a once-in-a-blue-moon chat with a friend from Florida this week, on the same day as I chatted with Ireland! Doubly blessed!

    Another occurrence this week was my maternal grandfather's 49th Yarzheit. I am so pleased and privileged to be able to mark these occasions. It is truly such a blessing to be grafted into the House of Israel through Yeshua HaMashiach.

    My nightly video call with my beloved grandson continues to bless my heart beyond measure. Yesterdays was much longer than usual, as he gave me a tour, looking for Brandy, his Border Collie. He found him guarding his stressball with wary eyes and a comical, lovable look on his face that said: "Just you TRY and take this away from me!"

    I woke up on Thursday morning with my head, neck and back muscles in spasm, resulting in a headache that stretched all the way to my middle back. As I said the blessings and opened the windows and curtains, and came to the 2nd of my East-facing windows that lets in the really hot morning sun, I froze in position as the sun touched my soreness in just the right place, in just the right way, that made it feel as if my heavenly Father were massaging my sore bits. It was the most beautiful, healing sensation and experience I can ever remember having. I just stood there for ages. And then... I realised the pain was gone! 

    On that same day we also had our monthly Zoom meeting with the wife of our beloved Rabbi Bernstein of Blessed Memory. There have been so many big and small wonderful things happen between the 1st of January and now that I'm sure if I had to mention each and every one, 2 things would happen: 1. The post would be very long and 2. I would probably bore you!

    To sum up, then, always remember that HaShem is more than enough; And even if He brings a situation that looks devastating, always trust Him. He needs to bring tests to us so that we will develop our characters and bring us a deeper good. He is sovereign and nothing can or will touch us unless He wills it. And if He wills it, it will only ever be for our good, no matter how bad it looks at first.

    I can vouch for this from my own personal experience. A good example was when I was retrenched at age 59. I was devastated and thought my life was over. I had no income, no pension, nothing. How was I going to pay my rent? Eat? Live? I comforted myself with, if all else fails, I had some sleeping tablets that I could take and never wake up again. That was 4 years ago. Not only has God allowed me to continue living in my apartment, He has fed me too. Not only that, but He has given me a handful of faithful students as a means of keeping me busy in His things and simultaneously earning a small income. I am beyond grateful and appreciative of how He has kept me, and continues to keep me. If you are one of those who have allowed yourself to be an instrument in His hands in this regard, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

    Just know that what He has done and is doing for me, He can and will do for all His children.

Shavu'a tov!🎉